Religious Language - Apophatic And Cataphatic Flashcards
What is the apophatic way?
via negativa
idea that religious language is best approached by negation (what God is not)
What is a mystic
believe that knowledge of God goes beyond the rational and empirical, so he is beyond our finite understanding and therefore we can only talk about him in what he is not
how does gregory of nyssa support mysticism
if we cannot even know the mind of an ant, we cannot claim to know God in terms of what he is
how does Maimonides support mysticism and the apophatic way
claimed that you could describe a ship in terms of what it is not, and by the tenth statement you would have some knowledge of what a ship is
how does Pseudo-Dionysius support mysticism and the apophatic way
says we need it to preserve the dignity and transcendence of God
‘enter into a cloud of unknowing’
what is the cataphatic way
via positiva
the idea that religious language should be understood in terms of analogy
supported by Aquinas
what two types of analogy does Aquinas argue that believers use to describe God
analogy of attribution
analogy of proper proportion
what is the analogy of attribution
recognises that God is the cause of all things so we can look at things in the world to get a partial understanding of Gods nature
what is the analogy of proper proportion
recognises that, when we use a human word to describe God, it applies to God in a much greater proportion because God is infinite
what is univocal language
language that means the same in every context
what is equivocal language
when the same language has a completely different meaning in different contexts
what did Aquinas say about the type of language believers use to describe God
when believers talk about God as good or loving, they mean something similar and more than the human versions of these words
it is a middle way between univocal and equivocal language
what example does Aquinas use to help explain the analogy of attribution
bulls urine
in medieval medicine, if a bulls urine is healthy, the health is attributed to the bull
what example does Aquinas use to help explain the analogy of proper proportion
violin player
when you describe the violin playing of your seven year old sister as good, it is not the same as describing the violin playing of a professional as good, as the professional is proportionally much better
what does Tillich argue
almost all religious language should be understood symbolically
what is a sign
points to something outside of itself, chosen randomly
what is a symbol
points to something outside of itself but also ‘participates in that to which it points’
carries a deeper significance and evokes emotions
example of a symbol
a cross, which points to Christianity but also is part of the belief that Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross
what is the level of meaning that is found in a symbol based on
a persons experiences
those who have had religious experiences would be able to participate more in the meaning
